


i can see you

by yuminpa



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, No other tags cus I don't wanna spoil anything oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25268878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuminpa/pseuds/yuminpa
Summary: grieving minds play awful tricks.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 30





	i can see you

**Author's Note:**

> hey! i don't know what i'm doing  
> dumb idea i had like five minutes ago while playing project diva. great game, by the way. you should play it.  
> anyway! yes  
> takes place after necktie* but before ふたりで (futari de).  
> credit to the cameraman (Cammie) goes to my friend mery!! @kittymery or @pecking-lovebird on Tumblr :)

“Come on, guys and gals! I can feel this tape being perfect!”

A mere month after The Necktie Incident and everything seemed as if it was just fine: back to work!

During the first couple of days after the incident, DJ Grooves didn't show up to work, which did not surprise any of the Moon Penguins or the small number of Express Owls that decided to stay and try to help. 

But now they were working as if everything had turned back to normal in the blink of an eye. 

Of course, Grooves was still absolutely crushed, heartbroken and grief stricken; but the bills weren't going to pay themselves. He lived on his own, he made his own money; he could not afford any days off!

So, simply, he didn't take any, despite the almost immobilising feeling of heartbreak and grief. 

Anger, too, but that wasn't as predominant as the heartbreak. 

As of right now, Grooves and his crew were recording their biggest work in progress yet; the first movie in a trilogy, and they had not attempted trilogies before. 

So… extra work for Grooves: but said extra work helped distract him from even more unnecessary grief that would only lead to picking up unhealthy habits and unhelpful coping mechanisms.

To him, everyone seemed as if they were doing good jobs! Most below him were penguins, acting away, but there was one owl: Cammie, and he was doing all of the camera work. He typically worked with the Conductor before The Necktie Incident and he was, very understandably, crushed by his death, and worried, too, for the sake of his job, considering he did not work with Grooves unless necessary. 

But now he works with Grooves full time, his job still just as stable as it was with Conductor. 

He was simply doing his job, recording all of the action while Grooves encouraged everybody involved, pointing Cammie in the right direction when he had to; when Cammie noticed something amiss. 

He had tried to record the same scene earlier, but to no avail.

“Something about this scene feels...off…” He said, looking at Grooves, who looked back at him, confused, after he noticed he was talking. “What makes you say that?”

“It's just...hm…” Cammie trailed off as he spoke, lowering the camera. “I don't think we have enough of those props over there.” He looked over at the stage, and Grooves did the same. Cammie pointed to a specific area of said stage, and Grooves seemed to come to.

The Moon Penguins all came to a halt. 

“Now that you mention it, darling…an additional prop would make the scene look better.”

A Moon Penguin interrupted the two, “Should I get the prop from the basement for you?”

“No, darling, don't worry about it. I'll go get it, okay?” He smiled, hopping down from his chair, walking to the elevator. “Stay here while I go find that prop!”

They all nodded, and Grooves silently wandered into the elevator, making his way to the basement. 

★

Alas, his prop was not among the rooms upon rooms filled with wooden crates; so he descended further into the labyrinth like basement; the basement he seemed to  _ dread _ going near. 

He had to, of course, to brainstorm ideas and concepts and find props like right now; but he never came down here on his own volition for free time anymore. 

Right now, though, his mind seemed to be clear; empty, almost, as he was searching the various storage rooms for props. 

Of course, there was still an empty void somewhere in him, but that was not his focus. His only objective was to find the prop he was looking for so Cammie could finish recording the scene for this movie. 

He sighed, his walking slowing down to a mere tiptoe almost, looking around, until he noticed a room, the door slightly open. 

It was the door to his own storage room, the one he typically used, and he turned and walked into said room, immediately looking around for the prop he was supposed to find for the scene. 

…

Of course, it wasn't in here. 

He sighed, slightly annoyed; but he was trying his best not to let those emotions get the best of him just yet. 

He was about to turn and walk back out, but he heard a voice - a recognisable voice - grumbling. 

He turned back, half expecting to see an Express Owl dash past the door, but—

Grooves’ heart dropped at what he was seeing. 

“You don't know where my rope is, do ya? Need it for a scene.”

The poor penguin was tearing up.

_ “Connor?” _

★

Despite not wanting to, Grooves let the tears in his eyes escape and he began to weep. 

The shadow only stood there, seeming confused.

“Quit yer cryin’. I only asked if you knew where me rope was. Do ya?” Now it seemed annoyed. 

Much like how the Conductor was when he was alive. 

“No.” That was all Grooves could reply with, his tears blurring this sudden, strange vision. 

“What!? Not like I need it for suicide or whatever. How would that work?” Now the shadow was smiling, looking at Grooves. 

And Grooves paused his crying, and looked back. 

“I..don't know where it is, Connie.” 

“You sure?”

It went silent. 

This gave Grooves the chance to look at this strange sight he was seeing, stepping closer.

this shadow looked, sounded and acted exactly like the Conductor; except his shirt was slightly unbuttoned at the collar and his purple tie was not around his neck. 

The vision was slightly translucent, too, Grooves slightly being able to see through it. 

Immediately, he knew what this was:  _ a hallucination.  _ But he daren’t feel or touch it, as then it would probably go away. 

He wanted to stay down here, forever, with this hallucination, this shadow; his brain playing mere tricks on him…

But of course he couldn't. 

“Hey.” The shadow waved its wing in front of Grooves’ face and he snapped out of his trance, blinking his leftover tears away. 

“I don't know where your rope is, I'm sorry…”

“Yer not helpful at  _ all.” _

“Well...neither are you. Why did you do what you did, Connie?” Now saying this, Grooves seemed to tear up again. 

The shadow seemed...confused, and then Grooves blinked his tears away. 

And then it realised, and then it scowled. “Because I did. Peck off, I'm not talking about that shit.” It stepped back from the room, walking backwards, about to turn and disappear behind the bend completely. 

“I still have your note.”

“I don't wanna read it! It's in the past, babe. I'll go find my rope now. Love you.” The shadow smiled, turned and then walked away. 

Grooves marvelled at the fact he heard those two words. He stood there, grinning, running to the bend in the corridors—

But it was gone. The shadow was gone entirely. 

And then his heart dropped. 

Grieving minds play awful tricks, don't they?

★

After a moment of sobbing and shouting to himself, DJ Grooves did eventually find that prop, sniffling and bringing it back upstairs to the rest of the group. 

They were standing there, confused, concerned; what took him so long!? Surely the prop did not take that long to find?

They were all talking amongst themselves as they awaited Grooves’ return, and eventually, he did return, still sniffling, looking as heartbroken yet as joyful as ever. 

He held the prop with two hands, walking back to the group. The first one to realise he was back was Cammie, and he walked over, taking the prop from Grooves, smiling. 

“Awesome! I actually thought we lost all of these— glad we didn't. What took you so long, anyw—”

He looked up at Grooves’ face, and upon realising how distraught he seemed, he tilted his head, his ear twitching. 

“You alright?”

Grooves forced a smile, wiping his leftover tears away, walking over to that seat. 

Unbeknownst to anyone except him, he was clutching Conductor’s note  _ tight.  _

“...I'm alright, darling. 

Let's record this scene.”


End file.
